Grant Funds Available for Commercial Spaces in Housing Hilltop South

The funds can support small and local businesses interested in serving the Hilltop community

More than $300,000 in grant funding is available to support new tenants for a 1,501-square-foot commercial space in the south building of Housing Hilltop.

We have contracted with Northwest Investment Partners to identify a local business to occupy this space. If you are interested, please email India Clark at .

Commercial Funding

To guide the project that would become Housing Hilltop, THA launched a community development planning process called #DesignTheHill in 2016. Throughout this process, community members emphasized that the commercial spaces of the property should be community-serving, culturally rooted, and economically accessible.

As with any THA-led project, housing those most in need is the top priority for Housing Hilltop. To support the goals and ambitions of our commercial tenants, THA staff applied for and received grants from Chase Bank and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

These grants could only be used for commercial space development and operations, not for housing costs. The Chase grant must be used for tenant improvements, relocation, advertising, and signage; one HUD grant must be used for operating costs; and the second HUD grant must be used for professional services.

Community Serving Commercial Tenants

THA worked with community partners to find BIPOC and other small, locally owned businesses to lease these commercial spaces. In 2024, we conducted outreach and issued an RFP; proposals were scored using a rubric that considered business vision, community support, and connection to the Hilltop neighborhood, with input from the City of Tacoma and the Hilltop Action Coalition. Reyna Filipina Kitchen Tacoma, Lavonne’s Room, and Rainier Gallery were selected based on the strength of their business plans.

Once these businesses were selected, grant funds were distributed to help with needs such as movable furniture, equipment, security-related costs, and early operations. In addition, first-year rent discounts were offered to help businesses get established in their new space.

Unfortunately, these funds were not enough to cover construction costs for all commercial tenants to build out their space, and in 2025, Reyna Filipina Kitchen made the decision not to move forward with the lease of space A.

The following funds remain available for a new tenant in Housing Hilltop South, Space A:

Rental income from Housing Hilltop’s commercial partners helps THA house and provide services to vulnerable populations throughout Tacoma. We are proud to partner with Lavonne’s Room and Rainier Gallery, and we look forward to welcoming another local business to support the Hilltop community.